Geography
Agroecological zones
Climate/agroecological zones using the recognized Köppen-Geiger classification, with their agricultural relevance. Zone membership is context, not a crop-suitability recommendation.
tropical
- Af · Tropical rainforestPerennial tropical crops (cocoa, oil palm, rubber, banana) and shifting cultivation dominate; grain storage is difficult in constant humidity.
- Am · Tropical monsoonMonsoon rice, jute, and tropical tree crops; timing to the monsoon is decisive.
- Aw · Tropical savanna (dry winter)Sorghum, millet, maize, cotton, sugarcane, and extensive grazing; a foundational tropical cropping zone.
arid
- BSh · Hot semi-arid (steppe)Drought-tolerant cereals (sorghum, millet), pulses, and extensive livestock.
- BSk · Cold semi-arid (steppe)Dryland wheat and other small grains, and rangeland livestock — major world grain regions.
- BWh · Hot desertIrrigated dates, wheat, and horticulture where water is available; otherwise pastoral.
- BWk · Cold desertIrrigated agriculture in oases and river valleys; extensive grazing.
temperate
- Cfa · Humid subtropicalMaize, soybean, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and citrus; among the most productive croplands.
- Cfb · Oceanic (marine west coast)Intensive dairy and livestock, wheat, barley, potatoes, and horticulture.
- Csa · Hot-summer MediterraneanOlives, grapes, citrus, wheat, and irrigated horticulture — the classic Mediterranean cropping mix.
- Csb · Warm-summer MediterraneanWine grapes, tree fruit, cool-season vegetables, and grains.
- Cwa · Dry-winter humid subtropicalRice and summer grains in the wet season; wheat and pulses in the cooler dry season under irrigation.
continental
- Dfa · Hot-summer humid continentalMaize, soybean, and wheat — the US/Eurasian grain belts.
- Dfb · Warm-summer humid continentalWheat, barley, canola, potatoes, and dairy/livestock forage.
- Dfc · SubarcticLimited agriculture — hardy forages, some barley/oats; mostly forestry and grazing.
- Dsb · Mediterranean-influenced continentalSmall grains, pulses, and grazing; irrigated horticulture in valleys.
- Dwa · Dry-winter hot-summer continentalMaize, rice, soybean in summer; a major East Asian cropping zone.